Scratching

[Shawn & Bella]

Help I dont know what to do???????  Bella has started scratching really bad at nite when she gets' in the bed.........She will scratch occasionaly during the day but it is getting out of control now i am giving her 25mg of benadryl once daily but tonight she will get another......Any doodle parents experience this?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How old is Bella, how long has she been scratching, and where do you live? Is she on flea preventatives? What areas of her body is she primarily scratching? Any paw licking or rubbing of her face & eyes?

[Shawn & Bella]

Bella is a lil over 4 months old now she is on all her necessary preventives.... I have not seen any fleas or ticks since we moved to the city, she is scratching her belly and hind legs she does not rub her face or eyes........I have been taking her to the dog park, river and etc we live in Augusta Ga.......She has a few bumps on her belly that look like acne but they dont seem to bother her...... ????????????????????? Help I know she has to be miserable but it usuallly gets worse at nite when we get in the bed...............

[Jackie]

Oh this is weird but I just took Beckett to the vets. He had what sounds like the same thing.The vet said it was something young dogs,pups can get. beck is 2. Think he said it was empitego?? sp. He put Beckett on an antibiotic. He had no idea how Beckett got it though!!

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Impetigo is a fungal infection. It looks like a bumpy red ring that is clear in the center.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Try Evening Primrose Oil capsules. It often helps. Ned scratches periodically and always more at night. Once in a while he gets a sore. I give him EPO capsules daily, and Claritin when is is scratching more. We did try Benedryl but it didn't help at all.
The bumps on her belly sound like the bumps Clancy had - I took him to the vet only as an after thought because I was taking Ned and Clancy's bumps had been caused by allergies that caused an infection. He had to take an antibiotic. I sure felt bad that I hadn't realized Clancy's tummy was worse than Ned's sore.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would take her to the vet. The bumps are her belly are bothering her, and she's scratching them. If she continues, she will cause herself an infection, if she doesn't already have one.
The primrose oil will help dry skin, but I would definitely take her to the vet. Four months is too young to take a chance on an infection. It's also very young for this be caused by an allergy. Not unheard of, but very rare for a four month old dog. However, it could be a yeast infection, or staph, and the vet can give you a topical for that, or some oral medication. Things like Benedryl are just a temporary way to relieve the symptoms, but if there's an infection, it won't help, and the infection can get worse. I know you'll feel better when she feels better.

[Diana Erhart]

I would agree to have the vet take a look. My Charlie gets allergies that sound like what Bella is having. He would keep us awake all night long with his scratching, biting and nipping. He has had several skin infections and they can get worse very quickly. What our vet has recommended and it seems to help alot is that every time Charlie comes inside from being outside for a length of time (like after walks or playing) I wipe him down with baby wipes. This takes the pollen off of his coat and it really does seem to help. Also, I rinse him off with lukewarm water (no bath, just rinse) every second or third day, and brush him every night. Just a nice soft brushing to stimulate his skin oils. This seems to be working. He still will scratch a little but he does sleep at night now and seems to be much more comfortable.

[Shawn & Bella]

ok so i will get her an apt to see the dr. but for tonight we will try some Claritin not sure how much to give her???????????????????

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm hesitant to suggest a dosage, because it depends on the dog's weight, and the sevrity of the problem. I have no experience with giving it to a 4 month old puppy, and i'm not even sure it would be safe to. Definitely not more than one 10 mg. tablet.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We give Ned one 10 mg tablet but he is two years old. He weighs 26 pounds. I am not sure if young dogs like yours would be like children and need a different dose - or any dose safely. We do have some spray called Excel Hydrocortozone Spray that we used on Ned. The doctor said Clancy's tummy was to much area for an external spray, but something like that may be soothing for overnight until you can get to the vet. We also have an ointment called Animax that is magic for most things - ears, sores..... Of course it is from the vet.

[Adrienne Shapiro]

I always call my pharmacy, even for these vet questions...they seem to know about this stuff about animals and medicine too and what is safe...Be sure you speak to the licensed pharmacist....

[Shawn & Bella]

Thanks for all the responses Bella is a puppy but she is weighing in at a whopping 32lbs. she is going to be a big girl.....I am going to take her to the vet tomorrow I have taken tomorrow afternoon off to take her......I guess I was thinking this could be heat or allergies......It puzzles me that she doesnt act like she feels bad and she is fine until she gets in the bed with me in the evening.......Could she be allergic to me.......lol..............I also didnt know if this was a common thing in our doodles.......